Darwin Elem School, Chicago IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Darwin Elem School

Darwin Elementary is a K–8 public school on Chicago's West Side that reflects both the strengths and challenges of neighborhood schools in Chicago Public Schools. Its enrollment is small to moderate for the grade band it serves, with the vast majority of students identifying as Hispanic and a substantial share as Black. The school does not report free-or-reduced-price-lunch rates or English learner counts in its public data, so those contexts cannot be assessed here.

On state assessments, Darwin's proficiency results are consistently low across tested grades and subjects. In English language arts, proficiency ranges from the mid-thirties in third and fourth grade to the mid-to-high fifties in seventh and eighth grade, showing some improvement at the upper grades. In mathematics, proficiency is markedly weaker, hovering in the tens through mid-twenties across grades three through eight, with sixth grade particularly low. Science proficiency, assessed in fifth and eighth grade, sits in the low-to-mid twenties. Against districts across Cook County, Darwin's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what supports exist for students who are not yet proficient and what academic interventions are in place.

The school serves pre-K through grade eight and sits within Chicago Public Schools District 299, a large urban system undergoing significant changes. The district is transitioning from a mayor-appointed to a fully elected school board, expected to complete in 2026, giving parents direct say in governance. CPS has also adopted a strategic shift toward strengthening neighborhood schools rather than relying on a choice-based system, and has replaced its former numeric school ratings with holistic dashboards launched in late 2024. These changes reshape how the district allocates resources and how families evaluate schools.

The 60647 zip code where Darwin sits is residential and mixed-use, part of Chicago's dense patchwork of neighborhoods accessible by extensive public transit. Housing values and rents in the area reflect moderate appreciation, with the broader Cook County market showing modest price growth and steady listing activity. The neighborhood supports street life through commercial corridors and transit access, anchored by the city's parks and public library system.

Darwin's test results suggest the school faces meaningful instructional challenges, particularly in mathematics. The school participates in the district's universal Skyline curriculum across multiple subjects, a first-ever comprehensive K–12 curriculum for CPS, and all tested students participated in state assessments. For families committed to a neighborhood elementary school and open to working closely with the school on academic support, Darwin remains a neighborhood option; families prioritizing immediate strong test scores should understand what the current data shows and engage directly with school leadership about their plans for improvement.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 38% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 420%

School 20% · District 29% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 24% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 610%

School 10% · District 23% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 718%

School 18% · District 27% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 818%

School 18% · District 23% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 36%

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 39% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 43% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 45% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 754%

School 54% · District 46% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 856%

School 56% · District 48% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Science

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 29% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 820%

School 20% · District 31% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

This schoolChicago Public Schools Dist 299, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.